Water may become intermixed with diesel fuel or other fuels in several ways, including purposeful mixing, condensation of humid air during transportation from refineries or other stations to end-distribution holding tanks, by leakage through faulty valves, pipes, or vents, and by careless handling. Water in fuel can cause fuel injector nozzle and pump corrosion, microorganism growth, and fuel filter plugging with materials resulting from the corrosion or microbial growth. In cold climates, ice formation in fuels containing water may cause fuel line and filter plugging degradation. Thus, various approaches are available to separate water from diesel fuel.
In one example, an off-highway vehicle, such as a locomotive or a mining truck may include a fuel-water separator for separating water from the fuel, and a purge tank for storing the separated water. The purge tank is then periodically inspected and emptied.
The inventors herein have recognized some shortcomings in such systems. For example, the required inspection interval for the purge tank may be more often than a regularly scheduled maintenance period. As such, the additional inspections for the purge tank can significantly increase maintenance costs of the vehicle. On the other hand, simply enlarging the purge tank to enable longer intervals between inspection leads to other disadvantages related to fuel system packaging, etc.